How to Eat British on a Budget: A Student Guide to Food

The University of Nottingham Are Staying Hungry for Catering Improvements

Connect with other in-house caterers to pool ideas, best practice and wisdom. TUCO has over 500 members and we help them communicate their know-how and experience with each other. Members connect through regional meetings, working groups, industry events and professional networks; asking questions and offering advice.

Cut costs, drive-up quality and improve sustainability through smarter procurement with TUCO. Every year we purchase over £140 million of goods and services for our members through EU compliant frameworks and delivered in excess of £10 million in savings.

Sharpen your skills through the TUCO Academy, a dedicated training initiative for in-house caterers. A range of accredited courses and study tours cover all development needs through online and face-to-face learning and the annual TUCO Competitions challenge the most talented hospitality workers from our members.

Keep up to date with the latest industry trends and consumer preferences using TUCO’s research and case studies. We regularly commission research to ensure members are primed on a range of topical issues, helping them to build their businesses.

Welcome to The University Caterers Organisation

TUCO is the leading professional membership body for ‘in-house’ caterers operating in the higher and further education sector. We are committed to advancing the learning and development of catering and hospitality teams and work to provide quality standards, advice and information to those working in the sector.

TUCO is committed to driving the health and well-being agenda on behalf of its members and is at the fore of sustainability best practice. Our procurement team work to secure the best possible value in all framework agreements, demonstrated by purchasing volumes in excess of £140m per annum.

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News at TUCO

The University of Nottingham’s catering outlets are some of the most diverse you’ll find on UK university campuses. Driven by competition from the nearby city centre and desires of a sizable international student population, it was the first university in the UK to open a Chinese...

Soft Drinks – Supplier Assessent Ahead of the annual contract review meetings with the Soft Drinks suppliers, we have a feedback survey ready to capture your feedback. The link is below but if you have firewall issues with Survey Monkey, please let me know a...

TUCO Online is a revolutionary web-based eProcurement system that provides a solution for procurement teams to manage and control supplier trading relationships. It’s designed to improve efficiency, reduce costs, give clients complete visibility over spend and ...

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the University of Nottingham for the TUCO Conference. It was my fi rst as chair of TUCO and as I walked the halls of the exhibition, speaking to members and suppliers, it made me feel so proud of our TUCO family. The TUCO Awards are a great example of thi...

The health trend continues gathering momentum at an unstoppable rate. Gluten-free and sugar swapping is now the norm, but dairy free has gained importance. Anti-inflammatory ingredients are the new buzz foods, and protein is still the darling of the macronutrient world, but more and more so in it...

Collaborate and innovate with Match: the new matchmaking service from Food Matters Live – London’s ExCeL on 21-23 November Are you looking to meet buyers from retail and foodservice? Perhaps you want to build business relationships with UK food and drink manuf...

The University of Nottingham and Brakes are among the winners at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Awards. Nottingham won the University of the Year MSC certified fish, while Brakes won the Fish Supplier of the Year category for ...

Surveys Please click the below link below for the survey: Fruit & Veg We have a new mega (but still quite quick) survey for the Fruit and Veg framework. One bit asks for your feedback on TUCO suppliers you are using, and another asks f...

We would like to thank all who contributed to the huge Success Of TUCO Conference 2017! This year's conference warmly Welcomed a lot of new members to the TUCO Family and provided an excellent opportunity for members to network, Share, Learn, Buy and Grow. We had ke...

Kim Ashley manages the Meat & Poultry, Sandwiches and Kitchen Equipment Maintenance framework agreements.She is also working on developing a new framework agreement for Kitchen Deep clean & Ventilation. You can reach her at This email address is being protected from ...

The University of Manchester and Bruntwood have announced that the co-op Loungers and Five Guys will be opening at the recently launched Green site, part of the €1bn campus masterplan and redevelopment. ...

‘Five years ago people would have said it’s too expensive. It’s second nature now and the costs are coming down.’ The ‘it’ in question is a commitment to sustainability and Julie Barker, director of accommodation and hospitality services at University of Bright...

Enhance your experience at this year's TUCO Conference by downloading our 2017 app today.You can now access ALL of the important event information from the palm of your hand without having to carry round a handful of printed material... On the app you ...

Mandy Johnston manages the Soft Drinks, Vending, Dipchem, and new Waste DPS TUCO frameworks. You can reach her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. //...

TUCO is delighted to be a supporter of Food Matters Live 2017.Food Matters Live is the UK’s fastest growing cross-sector event showcasing innovation in the food and drink industry and it returns to London’s ExCeL from 21 - 23 November 2017. Register for free entry. New h...

As with any type of food, there are pros and cons when it comes to fresh and frozen meat. However, more caterers are relying on frozen products with great success. In fact, according to the British Frozen Food Federation’s Frozen Food Report 2 (May 2016), the frozen food sector’s valu...

University and college catering facilities have a vital role to play in enhancing this experience. They are much more than just a place to ‘refuel’ and can be vibrant, cultural hubs where students mix with peers and academic staff, and engage with the broader university and college co...

Adding to this year's spectacular speaker line up is Linda Moir, who was in charge of the front-line events and customer services at the 2012 London Olympics. Linda was responsible for planning and implementing a customer service strategy, whereby she organised 15,000 volunteers known as ...

When research showed that the use of disposable coffee cups could be reduced by up to 300 million a year, it was TUCO members that helped to find a way to encourage customers to use a reusable alternative, Morag Wilson. An estimated 2.5bn disposable coffee cups are used in the UK each yea...

TUCO members have recently enjoyed the TUCO Seafood Discovery Day, going behind the scenes at Billingsgate Fish Market, reports Hannah Myton-Wright To chefs, there is nothing more historic than Billingsgate or Smithfield. Both fish and meat markets are a st...

Local sourcing means more than just ticking an ethical box and TUCO members are showing how buying local can be done, writes Tom Tanner from the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Universities and colleges sit right at the heart of UK towns and cities. ...

Jonathan Taylor, McCain Foods’ Culinary Lead, explains how drawing inspiration from the popularity and operational simplicity of street food can help university caterers to increase custom and compete with the high street. &ldquo...

Matthew Clark are showcasing their new beers and ciders range with a tasting session at Hyde Park on Wednesday 5th July! There will be over 200 cold Beers and 60 refreshing Ciders, ready and awaiting you at this summer's must attend ev...